Love or loath politics, we live in a world where politics, politicans and policy drive our lives.

Tony Abbott and Barnaby Joyce have done us all a great favour...at least temporarily by rejecting the ETS.

Now we need to press home the importance of how we can fix the climate by understanding the relationship between plants and water.

The problem itself is universal....the solution has been almost eternal.....we just have to accept the role of plants and water in climate management rather than remove the plants and water and mismanage the climate.

I have sent my contributions to both Tony Abbott and Barnaby Joyce. May I suggest those of you who feel so inclined do the same.

Here is a copy of an email I received from J Powys sent to Tony Abbott, Barnaby and Julie Bishop.

There is ONE STANDOUT. The current focus is "off centre". The prevailing discussion and arguments are centered on Green House Gases. This takes us totally off track, to form a maddening and hysterical misdirection of effort.

Instead, we need a new direction. Namely a broad discussion on halting the damage we do to the planet and the prime focus should be centered on these two important issues:

a) acknowledging the damage done to the planet by all humans everywhere and for a ... l o n g .... time.

b) attending to the damage and destruction done by humans to WATER resources, in all its forms (see new and longer document from Dr. Pokorny below):

First,

**** you will obviously need a team to initiate and sift through and highlight the best ways to reduce heal the planet. Giving some attention to C02, GHGs and Particulates in the atmosphere (and in the oceans). Perhaps Prof. Ian Plimer (Adelaide), Prof. Bob Carter (Queensland) , Prof Stewart Franks (Newcastle), Dr. Clive Splash (ex CSIRO Socio-economist ) and Prof Ian SF Jones (Sydney) Dr. Arden Anderson (CSIRO), Dr. Maarten Stapper (agronomist and micro biologist), Dr. Christine Jones, and Peter Andrews would also contribute. There must be others. Agronomists, Ecologists, Zoologists, biologists, botanists and biochemists would be helpful too (but economists might just get in the way).

Second

the biggest hurdle you will have to overcome, is the misinformation put out by the media and politicians, Nationals excepted - the crowd still maddeningly hitched to their one star of green house gas emissions. They maintain the ever present assumption that financial "carbon" +(dioxidde) emissions trading is the "only" way to reduce "damaging" carbon (dioxide) emissions. This statement is propped up on two false pillars, a) GHGs are the only important factors to consider and b) That Economics and Financial trading is the only solution. Neither statement is correct of course, because there are plenty of other causes, and many ways to tackle the multitude of issues relating to damage done to the planet . Further more this false connection is further maintained, expanded and supported by the media as they interview spin politicians and biased scientists. Result. They confuse and disinform us all.

How Tim Flannery, The PM and others can say what they do is beyond me!

LATEST NEWS: the efficiency and success of trading schemes are under a cloud, doubted and challenged by Dr. James Hansen NASA , the I.M.F. and Dr. Clive Splash.

Of course there will be costs arising due to your new no tax policy, but at least the new costs will be direct and to the point,. In this form they would be understood and far more acceptable to the Australian Community than the run around inevitable outcome from any ETS. Who wants to pay companies "credits" so that they continue to pollute? Who wants to support Governments and Financial Traders who will assist mates and influential heavy weight business, to leave us carrying the can. We do not need biased and corrupt misspending by the government of our pot of gold.

PRACTICAL ACTION:

Hereunder is a quick pick of sites discussing rain water. This is the beginning of a search triggered by the website I sent you - a document on growing algae by Dr. DJ Stepan 2002. I asked myself the question, WHAT IF we mixed the exhaust gases and particulates of coal power stations and used this (cold) water (Note site 4 below and the Dr. Stepan research 2002) - to grow more vegetation on LAND, to capture C02 and then grow algae on land and in the oceans. The latter for the express purpose to return Carbon, in the form of fossil fuels back onto the ocean bed.

1.Why is pure rainwater not pH 7? - Yahoo! Answers
5 Sep 2008 ... It does not mean it is just one substance. 1 year ago ... Pure rainwater will have dissolved certain gases that make it slightly acidic. ... Since the Industrial Revolution, much more CO2 and SO2 have been emitted, as well as large amounts ... Carbon Dioxide is a weak acid and is soluble in water. ...
answers.yahoo.com › Science & Mathematics › Biology - Cached - Similar
2. Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is only water-soluble, when pressure is maintained. After pressure drops theCO2 gas will try to escape to air. This event is characterised ...www.lenntech.com/carbon-dioxide.htm - Cached - Similar
3.HSC Online
describe the solubility of carbon dioxide in water under various conditions as .... so that the soda water does not foam or spray out of the container. ... Some coal or oil reserves containconsiderable quantities of sulfur compounds. .... In the Northern Hemisphere, pHs as low as 2 have been recorded in acid rain . ...http://www.hsc.csu.edu.au/chemistry/cor ... 32net.html - Cached - Similar
4. Carbon Dioxide and Solubility </head>
David, Any water soluble gas becomes more soluble as temperature decreases ... When dissolved in water, CO2 forms weak bonds with the water molecules. ...www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/chem00/chem00490.htm - Cached - Similar

Using water (sea, sewage, waste,) etc.

1. Coal exhausts, uptake by algae the process may include separation of particulates from gases, .....
how is this separation achieved (we could use ice cold water)?
2. use of C02 to grow algae on sea vessels, plus nutrients to allow sequestration of carbon, and oils on the sea bed
3. use of C02 to grow algae specifically to produce bio fuels (note the rush by BIG OIL into algae biofuels)
4 possible mix of water plus C02 to "fertilise" land plants and sequester carbon, nitrates and sulphates etc. in the vegetation and soils.
5 Thus what happens to the rain "mix of C02 and water" (see sites and ideas expressed above)?

Using soil, but assisted by rain fall water which brings C02 back to earth. Water can be quite acid, so there will be some chemical reactions. Note: we just dont know the full extent of water's capacities ... almost everything dissolves in water.

1. Uptake of gaseous C02 by large plants, e.g. forests (particular forests being better than others, e.g. natural rain forest versus monoculture planted forests for timber (pine, eucalypt, etc.) and consequent huge benefits derived from old forest and mixed species tree planting with retention of moisture and further additions of soil carbon.

2. Uptake of gaseous C02 by crops, grasses and vegetation (including weeds) and sequester the carbon in to the soil, to improve soil moisture levels..
By immediately working towards covering bare soils with vegetation - to add carbon and increase soil moisture levels
By improving rain run off in cities to feed the soil under all that concrete and supporting vegetation, - to improve C02 uptake by trees, add carbon to the soils and increase soil moisture levels.
By changes to grazing management Holistic Farm Management, (non) cultivation crop farming (Dr. Christine Jones) and CSIRO soil agronomist, Dr. Arden Anderson, Dr. Maarten Stapper and others. To further improve soil structure, soil moisture and carbon levels.

[PDF] Carbon Farming
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML
29 Jun 2008 ... to build organic soil carbon and hold a lot more of the rain that falls inside the “root zone” of .... Biological Agronomist Dr Arden Anderson ... was left was very brittle and just broke up, we had no problems at all”. ...http://www.lawrieco.com.au/uploaded_fil ... letter.pdf - Similar

By creating ag. fertilisers from brown coal (Ignite) to use organic fertilisers and store carbon.
By tapping the capacity of some plants to form "plant stones", particularly sugar cane and bamboo- to sequester carbon dioxide, and increase soil moisture investigated by Southern Cross Uni, Lismore.

Other ideas:

1. Mix coal exhausts with COLD water, ratio 3:1, perhaps add some lime, dissolve this mix of chemicals , pipe this cool coal "wine" to plantations of bamboo forests (OK to have a monoculture of Bamboo which grows at a phenomenal rate). Irrigate with this water which has now undergone many chemical changes, and we have "coal" fertilisation of the bamboo as a timber crop, high C02 consuming, Oxygen emitting. Thus increasing soil moisture and adding soil carbon. Any escaping C02 as a gas would be "trapped" by the thick cover of bamboo plant leaves. The pipe would have to be kept cool.

Hypothetical beneficial results: major absorption of C02, other GHGs and particulates; a sustainable crop of "timber" in the form of bamboo, oxygen output to the atmosphere, improved level of soil moisture, improved soil structure. Check for heavy metal pollutants from coal in the soil.

2. Reduce road speed limits to 90 kph ( the basis for this is that fuel consumption rises after 55 mph (88kph) by 7% for every increase in 5 mph, 14% for 10 mph, etc. Of course, driving at this speed will considerably reduce accidents, and many costs involving "support services" AND CUT FUEL USE, AND THEREFORE GHG AND PARTICULATE EMISSIONS. Actually, another inclusion could be a further reduction of speed limits quoted above, at night. I believe this is the case in the United States. SPEEDING, as everyone knows, COSTS.

[PDF] Testimony to the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural ...
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML
petroleum by increasing motor vehicle fuel economy. Before I do that, I would first like to note ... Observe speed limits - 7-8% fuel economy benefit for every 5 mph slower at ... anduse your most efficient vehicle as much as possible. ...

Reducing speed limits can save fuel, but at a cost of increased travel time. For each 5 mph above
55 mph, fuel economy decreases by about 7%. For most Americans the value of their time
would exceed the value of the fuel saved. A retrospective study of the 55 mph speed limit by the
National Academy of Sciences (NAS) found that it saved 1-3% of highway fuel use and also
improved highway safety (NAS, 1984). Because many drivers now routinely exceed the speed
limit by 5 mph or more, an alternative to lowering speed limits would be to more strictly enforce
those we have now.

3. There are many other ways to save fuel. For example, always fill your tank up early in the morning and always fill your tank up when it is half full, or more, never fill if there is a tanker off loading fuel at the petrol station. This reduces vapour losses and cost to you.

4. Stop the use of bunker oil as a fuel in ships.
Stop the use of ship engines when in port and require them to get their power from a land based preferably sustainable biofuel source.
Stop the tourist trips to the Antarctic.

5. In Australia, cancel the baby bonus, and puts some controls on population numbers in Australia (i.e. reduce increasing consumption levels).

Now Dr. Pokorny:

Duane Norris P.A. to Peter Andrews and Natural Sequence Farming. He and Peter have a bundle of useful contacts and knowledge, if you care to touch base with them. <duanejen@iprimus.com.au>

Duane has just sent me this draft paper which is to be delivered by Dr. Pokorny et al, to inform the Copenhagen conference. This is entitled "Water, Vegetation and Climate Change" - and he has asked me to forward it on to Barnaby and Tony Abbott. I think you have already received a simple version of this document, this is more detailed and lacks the pics. Do click on the word document below, Kosice Civi... doc (142 KB) 27 pages and download. It is a MUST (Please) read.

As you must know by now, our lives depend upon water, how we use it, respect it and whether we support the natural cycles. BUT we exploit and damage everything on our planet, the soil, atmosphere, micro and macro organisms, water and vegetation. This, Dr. Pokorny and his fellow researchers describe in detail and with great clarity. They put in a passionate plea for all of us to sit up and take notice of this vital and important message.

His green army might be ok - if they don't go around spraying the hell out of every single weed! He's going to be speaking to Conservation Volunteers and Greening Australia. Has anyone had experience with these organisations?

I'm going to write and ask him to give Peter a go at the Murray-Darling!!

I think it's definitely time to bring Peter to the attention of Tony and Barnaby. If enough of us write, then it may make a difference.

Thanks for the link Julene.
And I agree with you. If many of us will write to Tony, I'm pretty sure that it will get his attention.
Our efforts to this will surely bring good in helping to save our environment.

sthome12 wrote:
If many of us will write to Tony, I'm pretty sure that it will get his attention.

This is a very important point, I was watching Tony the other days on the news and to be honest I felt he was more in favour of the old ways of property management and therefore needs to be introduced quickly to what NSF is about and what it is doing.

I like his ideas about renewable energy and possible government future assistance so he is very open to ideas that will in fact make a change rather than those that might.

I am going ahead with my plan to send a copy of Peter's book to each of Tony Abbott and Barnaby Joyce. (I have ordered the books and am waiting for them to come in the post.) I'll send a letter as well and will attach it to this forum once I've finished writing it.

I feel hopeful that these guys would be interested in what Peter has to say.

My mum was at a BBQ with Barnaby recently. Was very impressed by him and says he speaks a lot of common sense.

One of the things he suggested, when lobbying politicians with letters, is to target your State Senators. They are in a fairly cushy position with a high income (PLUS all the perks) and many of them are happy to sit back and lap it up! He reckons tell them that you are taking note of their responses - and will vote accordingly!